Koteles continues winning ways with division title
Despite competing against drivers older and more experienced in the Hobby Stocks Division at the Pittsburgh Motor Speedway, Stockdale’s Logan Koteles clinched the division title recently with 744 points from 14 races.
Despite competing against drivers older and more experienced in the Hobby Stocks Division at the Pittsburgh Motor Speedway, Stockdale’s Logan Koteles clinched the division title recently with 744 points from 14 races.
Koteles compiled six wins, 12 top-5 finishes and 13 top-10 places during the 14-race season to clinch the crown over the likes of Scott Township’s Garrett O’Patchen (second with 710 points) and Aliquippa’s Leroy Brown (third with 698 points).
“It was a great feeling to win,” Koteles said. “It was definitely my goal heading into the season, so it was a great accomplishment and a great honor to win the championship.”
Koteles managed to find success on the track while attending PennWest California as a business major through practice in many forms, including lots of hours logged on an iRacing simulator that allowed him to gain a better feel for his car.
This past season was the fourth that Koteles has raced, capturing the Young Guns division in his first season with eight wins before spending the last three seasons in the Hobby Stocks. In his first year competing against fellow Hobby Stock drivers, he tallied five wins before upping that to six the next season. That preparation set him up for his championship this year.
Koteles also went through struggles with his car early in the season as his transmission broke in the first race of the year while encountering a broken front shock a few weeks later, but he credited his family with helping him through those issues and even found that they pushed him to work harder and appreciate the good nights where things went right.
He also mentioned the support of the following sponsors: Hoods Up Quick Lube, Volarann Medical, Rib Cage BBQ, Kehm Oil, Royal Purple, Rain X, Top-Care Lawn Care, Tandem Built, Mighty Auto Parts, NAPAAuto Parts and Anarchy Kustoms.
Moving forward, Koteles will race in the Penn Ohio Pro Stock division next year with high hopes.
“It definitely builds my confidence knowing that I won in the Hobby Stocks, but it’s a clean slate going against those guys,” Koteles said about the opposition in the Penn Ohio Pro Stock Division. “That championship means nothing next season, so it’ll be tough because those guys have been racing there for a long time. One of them is my brother Cody, so he’ll be tough to beat, and I look forward to competing with all of them.”
Koteles is at the point where he is trending up when it comes to his racing career. Ultimately, he wants to continue his ascension up the ranks.
“I think I’m moving in the right direction,” Koteles said. “I just want to keep moving up and keep getting wins. I feel like I’m at the age where, if I just keep going in the same direction, I can end up at the top some day. I’d love to end up there and drive a Super Late model someday, I’d love to get there. But I feel like I’m moving in the right direction.”